Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1887-02-25
DR.. TALMAGE'S SERMON
THE BROOKLYN DIVINES SUN.
DAY SERMON.
SubjecS of Discourse: "The Ran.
somed."

Corinthians, vi, 90
Your friend takes you through his valu-
able house. You examine the arches, the
fresco, the graSs-plots, the fish-ponds, the
conservatories, the parks of dec, and you
say within yourself, or you say aloud
What did all this costm You see costly
apparel, or you see a high-mettled span Of
horses harnessed with silver and gold, and
you begin to make an estimate of the value
The man who owns a large estate cannot in
stantly tell you what it is all worth He
says: 81 viii estimate so much for the
house. so much for the furniture, so much
for laying out the grounds, so much for the
stock, so much for the barn, so much for
the equipage-adding up, in all making this
aggregate"
- Well, my friends, l hear so much about our
mansion in heaven, about its furniture and
the grand surroundings, that l want to know
how much it is all worth, and what has actu-
ally been paid for it. / cannot complete in
month or a year the magnificent calcula-
ton; but before l get through to-day l hope
to give you the figures. 'Ye are bought
with price"
With some friends went to London
Tower to look at the crown jewels of Eng
land. We walked around, caught one glimpse
of them, and being in the procession were
compelled to pass out. wish that to-day |
could take this audience into the tower of
Gods mercy and strength, that you might
walk around just once at least and see the
crown jewels of eternity, behold their brill
lance and estimate their value. "Ye are
bought with price, Now, if you have
large amount of money to pay, you do not
pay il all at once but you pay it by install
ments-so much the first of January, so much
the first of April, so much the first of July,
so much the first of October, until the entire
amount is paid. And have to tell this audi
ence that "You have been bought with
price" and that that price was paid in differ
ent installmentS.
The first installment paid for the clearance
of our souls was the ignominious birth of
Christ in Bethlehem. Though we may never
be carefully looked after afterward, our ad-
vent into the world is carefully guarded We
come into the world amid kindly attentions.
Privacy and silence are afforded when God
launches an immortal soul into the wo Id.
Even the toughest OF men know enough tc
stand back. But l have to tell you that in
the village on the side of the hill there was a
very bedlam of uproar when Jesus was
born. In village capable of accommodate
ing only few hundred people, many thou
sand people were crowded: and amid hos
tiers and muleteers and camel drivers yelling
at stupid beasts of burden, the Messiah APP
peared. No silence. No privacy. better
adapted pla'e hath the eaglet in the eyrie-
hath the whelp in the lions lair. The exile of
heaven leth down unon the straw. The
first night out from the palace OF heaven
spent in an clubhouse. One hour after laying
aside the robes of heaven, dressed in a
wrapper of coarse linen. One would have
supposed that Christ would have made
more gradual descent, coming from heaven
first to half-w world of greatmagnitude,
then to Cesar's palace, then to a merchants
castle in Galilee, then to private home in
Bethany, then to fishermanS hut and asst
of all to the stable. No! it was one leap
rom the top to the bottom.
Let us open the door of the caravansary il
Bethlehem, and drive away the camels.
Press ON through the group OF idlers and
- loungers. What, o Mary, no light9 No
light" she says, save that which comes
through the door" What, Mary, no food.
"None.n she says, "only that which is
brought in the sack on the journey" Let
the Bethlehem woman who has come in here
with kindly attentions put back the covering
from the babe that we may look upon it.
Lookl Look! Uncover your head. Let US
kneel Let all voices be hushed. Son of Mary!
Son of God! Child of a day-mon-
arch of eternityl In that eve the
glance of God. Omnirotence sheathed
in that babes arm. That voice to be
changed from the feeble plant to the tone
sauna! Glory be to God that Jesus came
from throne to manger that we might rise
from manger to throne, and that all the gates
are open and that the door of heaven that
once swung this way to let Jesus out, now
swings the other way to let us in. Let all
the bellmen of heaven lay hold the rope, and
ring out the news: "Behold, bring you
glad tidings of great Joy, which shall be to
all people: for to-day is born in the city of
David Saviour which is Christ the Lordn
The second installment paid for our souls
clearance was the scene i'll Quarantania. a
mountainous region full Of caverns, where
there are to this day panthers and wild
hnnctc nf all cOrtq. that 1Ouct
the traveller says, go there armed with knife
or gun or pistol 1t was there that Jesus
went to think and pray, and it was there
that this monster of hell, moro sly.
more terrific than anything that prowled
in that country-Satan himself, met
Christ. The rose in the cheek Of Christ
that Publius -entulus in his letter to the
Roman Senate, ascribed to Jesus-that rose
had scattered its petals. Abstinence from
food had thrown him into emaciation The
longest abstinence from food recorded in
profare history is that Of the crew of the
shin Juno; for twenty three days they had
nothing to eat But this sufferer had tasted
amonth and ten days before He broke fast
HUNGER must have agoni7ed every fibre of
the body and gnaw2d on the stomach with
teeth of death. The thought of q morseI Of
bread or meat must have thriller the body
with something like ferocity. Turn out q
rack of men hungry as Christ was a-hun-
gered, and if they hal strength, with one
yell they would devour you as lion would
kid. 1t was in that pang Of hunger that
Jesus was accosted, and Satan said: Nov
change these st mes. which look like bread,
into an actual supply of bread" Had the
temptation come to you or me under those
circumstances, we would have cried" cad
it shall be-" and had been almost impatient
at the time ia en- for mastication; but
Christ with one hand beat back the hunger,
and with the other hand beat back the mon
arch of darkness. o. We tempted ones!
Christ was tempted. We are told that Ma
poleon ordered coat of nal made; but he
was not quite certain that it was impene-
trable, so he said to the manufacturer of
that coat of mail: 'Put it on now your
self and let us try it, and with shot
after shot from his own pistol the Emperor
found out that it was just what it pretended
to be-a good coat of mail Then tho man
received large reward. | bless God that
the same coat of "ail that struck hack the
weapons of tenil ton from the heart of
comes and saws II have been tempted, and
know what it is to be tempted. Take this
robe that defended Me and wear it for your.
selves will see you through all trials, and
l will see you through all temptation"
"But, says Satan still further to Jesus
come and will show you something worth
looking at" and after a half-d4y's Journey
thay came to Jerusalem and to the top of tn,
Temple Just as one might go up in tn,
tower of Antwerp and look of upon B i
gihm, SO Satan brought Christ t. the top o
the Temple Some people at greas height
feel dizzy, and have strange spositi)n t.
jump; so Satan comes to Christ with a ow
erful temptation in that very crisis. Stand
ing there at the top of the Temple they LOOK
off. A magnificent reach of country
Grain fields, vineyards, olive groves, forest
and streams cattle in the valley hocks OF
the hills, and villages, and cites and realms.
Now" says Satan, "i'll make a bargain